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CPT code 29880: Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic removal of damaged tissue from both the medial and lateral menisci in one knee, with cartilage smoothing included when performed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities39.1K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $533.08 for 29880 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29880

Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
7.21
Total RVUs
15.96
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$533.08

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29880 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 29880 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 29880 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to remove damaged portions of both menisci in the same knee. This is commonly performed for meniscal tears that are treated by resection rather than repair. If the surgeon also smooths damaged articular cartilage during the procedure, that work is included. A repair of one or both menisci is a different service.

Report this code once for the knee when operative documentation supports work on both the medial and lateral menisci; identify the treated side and describe the findings and tissue removed. A 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. For bilateral knee procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation, and co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 29880 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

29880 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$481.37
AlaskaUnavailable$647.25
ArizonaUnavailable$518.47
ArkansasUnavailable$474.98
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$547.56
Austin, TXUnavailable$542.07
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$541.80
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$566.32
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$507.71
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$522.01

29880 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
29880 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 29880 rate is calculated

Each of 29880’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 29880

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work7.21

7.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.28

7.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.47

1.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.9600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$533.08

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 29880

29880 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29880

Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 29880

Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

29880 without 50 · national facility

$533.08

Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci

29880-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$799.62

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

29880 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 29880

    Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci7.21 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29881

    Knee meniscectomy, medial or lateral meniscus6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29882

    Meniscus repair, medial or lateral9.36 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29883

    Meniscus repair, medial and lateral11.48 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29877

    Knee chondroplasty, arthroscopic cartilage smoothing8.09 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29881Knee meniscectomyMedial or lateral meniscus
Choose 29880 when meniscectomy is performed on both menisci in one knee; 29881 is for one meniscus.
29882Meniscus repairMedial or lateral
29882 reports arthroscopic repair of one meniscus. This code reports meniscectomy of both menisci, not repair.
29883Meniscus repairMedial and lateral
29883 reports arthroscopic repair of both menisci. Use this code when both menisci are treated by resection instead.
29877Knee chondroplastyArthroscopic cartilage smoothing
29877 describes arthroscopic cartilage debridement. Cartilage smoothing performed during this meniscectomy is included, not separately reported as 29877.

Codes related to 29880

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 29880
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29881Knee meniscectomy, medial or lateral meniscusMeniscectomy limited to either the medial or lateral meniscus.No office rate
Used instead
29882Meniscus repair, medial or lateralArthroscopic repair of one meniscus rather than meniscal tissue removal.No office rate
29883Meniscus repair, medial and lateralArthroscopic repair of both menisci rather than meniscal tissue removal.No office rate

29880 billing questions

When should this code be selected instead of 29881?

Use this code when the surgeon performs meniscectomy on both the medial and lateral menisci in the same knee. Code 29881 describes work on one meniscus.

Can cartilage smoothing be reported separately?

No. Cartilage debridement or smoothing performed during this meniscectomy is included in the service.

How is work on both knees reported?

For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

Document the knee side, the medial and lateral meniscal findings, and the resection performed on each meniscus. The operative report should distinguish resection from meniscal repair.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 29880PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,361 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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